Friends of Ours

Forty Mafia Capitale Convictions

In Rome, Italy Massimo Carminati and his sidekick Salvatore Buzzi have been convicted for leading a corruption ring involving dozens of dirty officials and shady businessmen which pilfered government funds through bribery and bid rigging as reported by The Telegraph: "prosecutors had tried to link the gang to the Sicilian Mafia" but "the court did not convict any of the defendants of Mafia association."

Italian Mafia Stakes Claims On German Turf

Mafia clans from Cosa Nostra in Sicily and the 'Ndrangheta in Calabria are peddling drugs and laundering money in Germany as reported by The Guardian: "Petra Reski, a journalist who has written a book about the mafia's growing influence in Germany, said the country now had the highest mafia presence in Europe after Italy."

Further reading that may be of interest:

Russian Mafia Overwhelmes German Authorities

Sicilian Mafia Teams Up With Nigerian Gang In Sex Trade

Cosa Nostra has partnered with Nigerian gangsters in operating sex rings as reported by Newsweek: "members of the Vikings -- a gang that sprung out of Nigerian universities in the 1980s and demands that members have no criminal record -- have collaborated with the local Cosa Nostra, or the Sicilian Mafia," and "the groups have worked together on vice rings involving Nigerian women who have been trafficked to Italy as sex workers."

Italian Mobsters Get Rich From Drug Trade

Matteo Frasca, the head of Palermo's Appeals Court, said in a speech last January that the Mafia "is once again looking to develop and maintain a total monopoly on the extremely profitable narcotics market" as reported by U.S. News & World Report: "Italian prosecutors say the 'Ndrangheta [or Calabrian Mafia] has a stranglehold on cocaine trade, but Cosa Nostra [or Sicilian Maifa] is a major player in the Italian hashish market, often importing the drug from northern Africa and selling it throughout Europe."